ELYSIS has activated its 450 kiloampere (kA) inert anode cell, installed at the end of an existing potline at Rio Tinto’s smelter in Alma, Québec. The company described the development as a major step forward in the shift towards large-scale aluminium production with a lower carbon footprint.
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The launch is a major innovation and marks the first commercial deployment of inert anode technology. The technology results from extensive research, development and industrial trials, and demonstrates aluminium production at high amperage without direct carbon emissions.
According to ELYSIS, the technology will offer further advantages, including improved safety conditions for employees, potential cost reductions, and gains in overall operational efficiency.
ELYSIS is a Canadian technology company formed as a joint venture between Alcoa and Rio Tinto, with additional support from the Governments of Canada and Québec.
Work will continue on the full-scale cell, which has been engineered as an industrial demonstration, to collect performance data that will help improve future commercial use.
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ELYSIS President and Chief Executive Officer François Perras said: “While R&D is rarely linear, our combined efforts have turned vision into reality. Today, we’re not just powering a new cell, we’re powering the future of aluminium.”
Jérôme Pécresse, Chief Executive of Rio Tinto Aluminium & Lithium, remarked: “The construction of the first demonstration plant using this new technology at our Arvida smelter in Canada underscores its importance as a core pillar of our long-term decarbonisation strategy.”
Alcoa Corporation President and Chief Executive Officer, William F. (Bill) Oplinger, added: “Alcoa founded the aluminium industry and is proud to be part of the development of the next phase of technological advancement. ELYSIS technology has the potential to fundamentally change the future of our industry, and with the successful implementation at a commercial-size scale, we are one step closer to bringing the technology to market.”
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